U.S. Department of State's Global UGRAD-Pakistan Program Kicks Off in Washington January 3

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has announced that 100 students from Pakistan are participating in the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program’s (Global UGRAD-Pakistan) arrival orientation in Washington, D.C. from January 3-7, 2012.

Launched in 2010, Global UGRAD-Pakistan provides an international academic exchange experience at a U.S. college or university for 200 emerging student leaders from underserved demographic groups or geographic areas in Pakistan. The undergraduate students participate in one semester of non-degree study in the United States. Half of the 200 participants arrived in August 2011 for the fall semester.

The spring 2012 Global UGRAD-Pakistan Fellows will be placed at 71 accredited two- and four-year higher education institutions in 34 states. Through their programs of study, and integration into U.S. communities, Global UGRAD-Pakistan students gain broader, more nuanced knowledge of the United States, which will help them to increase mutual understanding between the United States and Pakistan in the future through people-to-people engagement. While in the United States, participants take part in local community service projects, engage in cultural enrichment activities and complete a U.S. studies course.

The Global UGRAD-Pakistan program is a part of the Department’s Global Undergraduate Exchange Program, a scholarship program for students worldwide. Students study for one semester or an academic year at colleges and universities across the United States. The program is administered by the cooperating agency, the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX).

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs promotes international mutual understanding through a wide range of academic, cultural, private-sector, professional, and sports exchange programs. These international exchanges engage youth, students, educators, artists, athletes, and emerging leaders in many fields in the United States and in more than 160 countries. Alumni of ECA exchanges comprise over one million people around the world, including more than 50 Nobel Laureates and more than 320 current or former heads of state and government.